DC latching solenoids and relays are used in many applications such as irrigation, plumbing, and electrical control. These devices use pulses of energy to establish one of several stable states, although a DC latching device with two stable states is the most common arrangement. For instance, in the case of a valve being controlled by a DC latching solenoid, the two states are OPEN (water, gas, etc. flowing) and CLOSED (water, gas, etc. not flowing). In the case of a DC latching relay, the states may be ON (conducting) or OFF (non-conducting).